5 months ago
Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue outpointed Alan David Picasso Romero pinch a prestigious show to clasp his undisputed super-bantamweight title successful Saudi Arabia.
Widely regarded arsenic 1 of boxing's starring pound-for-pound fighters, Inoue, 32, showcased his ringing intelligence, accelerated hands and crisp combinations complete 12 ascendant rounds.
Picasso, 25, was incapable to unrecorded pinch Inoue's velocity and assemblage shots successful Riyadh arsenic nan judges scored nan title 119-109, 120-108 and 117-111 successful favour of nan champion.
Despite nan one-sided quality of nan victory, Inoue - a four-division world champion and undisputed successful 2 weight classes - said he was disappointed pinch his display.
"My capacity coming is not bully capable - I should person done better," he said.
The triumph extended Inoue's cleanable grounds to 32 victories, including 27 by knockout, and sets up a imaginable showdown successful 2026 pinch compatriot Junto Nakatani.
Nakatani outpointed Mexico's Sebastian Hernandez Reyes connected nan undercard successful a adjacent title marred by a arguable scorecard.
In a conflict wherever a lawsuit could beryllium made for either boxer, 2 judges scored it 115-113, pinch nan 3rd returning an inexplicable 118-110 card.
Following Terence Crawford's retirement, Inoue tin beryllium considered among boxing's starring fighters, alongside heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who was ringside.
After assessing Picasso successful nan opening rounds, Inoue moved smoothly done nan gears.
The taller, rangier Picasso enjoyed immoderate single-punch occurrence successful nan first half, but Inoue appeared mostly untroubled by his opponent's power.
Former middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, now president of World Boxing, watched from adjacent quarters arsenic Inoue upped nan tempo, throwing fluent combinations and pressing guardant pinch confidence.
Heavy correct hands successful nan 5th and sixth rounds, coupled pinch repeated hooks to nan body, slowed Picasso, whose activity began to slice arsenic nan result became progressively clear.
A thudding near hook successful nan 12th represented a valiant, last-ditch effort astatine an improbable upset, but nan bout had agelong since go a masterclass.
Making a 4th defence of his undisputed crown successful 2025, Inoue continues to group nan modular for activity astatine nan elite level and places himself firmly successful nan speech for combatant of nan year.
Inoue said successful nan build-up that his clip successful nan athletics is "running out" - but he has options.
There has been speculation astir a move up to featherweight to look Liverpool's WBA world champion Nick Ball, while he has besides welcomed nan situation of hard-hitting unified super-flyweight champion Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez.
The bout galore fans - and influential Saudi Arabian boxing fig Turki Alalshikh - are astir keen to see, however, is against Nakatani.
Nakatani, who vacated his WBC and IBF bantamweight titles to move up successful weight, was a dense favourite against Hernandez and controlled nan early rounds pinch crisp uppercuts and effective assemblage work.
Hernandez refused to fade, coming connected powerfully successful nan 2nd half arsenic he pressed guardant relentlessly and landed telling shots.
The arguable 118-110 scorecard underlined acquainted judging concerns wrong nan sport.
Despite nan controversy, nan unbeaten Nakatani - a three-weight world champion extended his grounds to 32 wins, 24 of them by stoppage.
"I changed my weight people to purpose for nan world champion," nan 27-year-old said. "If I'm fixed nan opportunity to conflict connected that stage, I'll do my best."
